Red Sox 7, Tigers 4: Jim Leyland rants after Detroit fails to return to .500

Detroit had the opportunity to return to .500 with a victory in Boston on Monday. One and a half innings into the game, that chance was all but derailed. You can blame umpire Bill Welke for a blown call -- which he admits -- that cost the Tigers and starter Doug Fister three runs, or you can blame the Tigers for reverting to their struggling ways. It's a mixture of both, really.

Welke's call came with two outs in the inning and no runs yet plated. Had he gotten the call correct, the inning is over and it's a 1-1 tie in the third. But he didn't.

Fister was not as crisp as normal. He left pitches up. Boston hammered them. After the blown call, nothing changed. So Boston scored a few more. The Red Sox added an extra pair later.

SNAP REACTION RECAP: Red Sox 7, Tigers 4

The Tigers defense was still shaky. No errors were recorded, but there were certainly problems, as there always are.

Finally, Detroit just couldn't get baserunners. The first three batters combined for seven strikeouts and one hit. It's hard to win when your starting pitcher is giving up hits and the top of your lineup isn't getting any.

Still, for many online and off it was easiest to place blame anywhere but the team.

Manager Jim Leyland seemed to explode in all directions: Telling the media to call out Welke, snapping when asked about Fister's performance or Raburn's strikeouts. Here's a link to a video on YouTube to listen for yourself. For those who just want to read, I'll continue the game of telephone and credit WXYZ-TV's Tom Leyden with a hat-tip to Matthew B. Mowery of the Oakland Press for writing up the rant in full:

"There shouldn't have been a second-inning rally. ... There should not have been a second-inning rally, because there was three outs," Leyland said in his postgame comments on FOX Sports Detroit

"I've been in the game a long time and when the catcher catches the ball and it's strike three you call the guy out, it's that simple isn't it?

"You guys that need to write something and hold people accountable... you know what, we're all accountable in this business. All of us are accountable. And when I say all of us, I mean everybody that's involved in the game needs to be held accountable, OK?

"That's exactly what needs to be done. There should not have been a rally in that inning.

"Now anybody that saw that, have the nerve to write what you saw and say it, because I'm not going to sit here and rip umpires.

"But you saw what you saw - clearly saw what you saw. I just saw it for the tenth time - clearly saw what you saw.

"Write it and say something once in awhile. Have the nerve to say something.

"Now, next question."

One can only hope Leyland directs some of that toward his own team for being in such a prolonged funk, because right now the players are making it far too easy for forces outside the team to control their destiny.

3 ROARS

Delmon Young -- really! Solo HR

Gerald Laird - really! 2 hits, solo HR

Jhonny Peralta --real-- OK that one isn't such a surprise. 2-R HR

BONUS

Luis Marte threw a good game of relief.

3 HISSES

Ryan Raburn - 3 strikeouts, 0-for-4

Miguel Cabrera - 2 strikeouts, 0-for-4

Doug Fister - 6 runs allowed, 11 hits in 5 innings

GAME 47 POG

Miguel Cabrera edged Quintin Berry by 10 votes to remain neck-and-neck with Justin Verlander for the season.